Sorting it out: Elementary students' responses to fact and fiction in informational storybooks as read‐alouds for science and social studies

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes a descriptive, developmental study of elementary students’ acquisition of vocabulary, comprehension of content area concepts in science and social studies, and ability to distinguish between fact and fiction in informational books read aloud by pre‐service teachers in the classroom. Multiple analyses of variance indicate significant differences across grade levels for comprehension and ability to distinguish between fact and fiction but not for vocabulary acquisition, which shows significant increases that are stable across grade levels. The findings suggest appropriate uses and cautions that should be considered when informational storybooks are used as read‐alouds to facilitate elementary student learning across the curriculum.